


holding hands with a mirage

by windychimes



Category: Persona 3
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-26
Updated: 2012-12-26
Packaged: 2017-11-22 11:32:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/609369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/windychimes/pseuds/windychimes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Isn't it something to be alive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	holding hands with a mirage

It’s three in the morning and Shinjiro’s sucking on a cigarette and Akihiko’s eyes brows are knitted up in a little not-frown and Shinjiro thinks, he thinks…

Isn’t it something to be alive.

“When’d you pick up smoking?” Akihiko asks, and he’s still trying not to frown. Like not frowning will make him seem less angry or something dumb like that.

“Recently,” is all Shinjiro offers. He blows out a puff of smoke and is nice enough not to blow it in Akihiko’s face. He considers it, though. “Y’got a problem with that?”

“Of course I do!” Akihiko’s fingers twitch like he can’t decide between snatching the cigarette from his hand or punching him in the face. “You cough enough already, don’t you know this will just make it worse?”

Shinjiro shrugs, takes another drag of his cigarette, switches hands so Akihiko can’t grab it so easily. “It makes me feel alive,” he says, and that’s funny, that’s not what he meant to say at all. He shrugs it off and taps his cigarette to get rid of the excess ash. “It’s like fighting a shadow; you feel more alive when your mortality’s at stake, don’t you?”

“Idiot!” Akihiko’s fists tighten and Shinjiro works his jaw in preparation for the punch. “We’ll go to the Tartarus tomorrow. You can get your kicks there instead of smoking.”

“So smoking’s worse than getting your ass kicked by shadows? Things that can really kill you?” A wry smile passes Shinjiro’s lips. “Sometimes I don’t get you, Aki.”

There’s a moment of silence, of Shinjiro tapping the ash off his cigarette again, of the night air being so cold his breath comes out in clouds without any smoke. Akihiko raises his fist to swing and Shinjiro tightens his jaw for the impact.

But Akihiko doesn’t punch him; the anger drains from his face and instead he just looks tired. He presses his forehead to Shinjiro’s arm, sighs, closes his eyes to regain his composure.

“…C’mon, just give me this. You fight with me on enough things; let me win for once.”

Shinjiro looks at Akihiko, looks at his cigarette, counts to ten and drops it on the ground. Crushing it under his boot, he shrugs and pushes Akihiko off.

“Alright, alright, I’ll stop. Ya don’t have to be so dramatic about it.” Akihiko smiles and Shinjiro punches his shoulder so he'll stop looking so smug. “Come on, let’s go inside. I’m freezing my ass off out here.”

Akihiko laughs and drags him inside and Shinjiro thinks, yeah, maybe this makes him feel alive too. Maybe having a friend can do that, too.

Isn’t it something to be alive.


End file.
